The weather cooled off last week for my parents' visit. Apparently, the Farmers' Almanac is forecasting a wet winter this year; feeling apprehensive relative to last year's mild winter. After traveling a few days through Washington, my mom and dad drove into Portland at lunchtime on Monday. I introduced them to Laurelhurst Park and Peninsula Park before meeting Kyle for dinner at Alberta's Great Notion Brewing (#30).
I worked on Tuesday while my parents visited with Aunt Judy and family friends. We spent Wednesday on the westside, shopping and eating our way through northwest Portland. Little Bean is a dessert shop that makes vegan ice cream from chickpeas. That evening, we met Tom for dinner before attending the Timbers game--my first professional soccer game!
On Thursday, Aunt Judy took us on a hike to Falls Creek Falls. The trailhead is located 1.5 hours from town via I-84 E to WA-14 E and Wind River Highway. The easy 3.4-mile out-and-back (700' gain) climbs through old forest following Falls Creek. A longer loop hike is also possible from this trailhead. I was surprised by how full the falls were this time of year! Date hiked: 9/19/19.
After a chilly and foggy trek to Sherrard Point atop Larch Mountain, we finished the day at McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale. My parents took off early the next morning en route to Denver. I was sad to see them leave, but grateful for their visit; already looking forward to our next reunion! Family is everything.
